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Spend Some Rhyme Time Rhyming Word Game
For a fun and easy game you can play any time, all you need is a word. Choose an easy word to rhyme, and have your child think up a rhyming word. Then it's your turn to think up a rhyme for the same word, and then your child's. Keep going back and forth until one of you gets stuck, and then have your child pick a new word to rhyme.
Do a Little Decoding
To help your child learn to recognize and decode word sounds, try the following fun activities:
- Play rhyming games, rhyming as many words as you can.
- See how many words you can make by keeping the ending and just changing the first letter.
- Use magnetic letters or word cards to emphasize the link between letters and sounds.
- Help your child sound out new words that interest her.
Sight Special Words
To build up a bank of words your child will recognize on sight, make a word book. Write down words that are special to your child, such as the names of animals or words like "love" and "hug," and encourage him to illustrate them. You can also take pictures of signs or labels your child will recognize and put them in the book to make the words on them more familiar.
Critical Thinking - Be a Spy
To develop critical thinking skills, play "I Spy." Decide on an object within your view and say, "I spy with my little eye...," then add a clue such as "something that begins with 'H'." Let your children ask you yes-or-no questions to help them hone in on the object. After they guess, the kids get a turn to "spy."
Letter Recognition - Learn Those Letters
To help your child learn to match the letters of the alphabet with the sounds they make, try the following fun activities:
- Make 3D letters by covering construction-paper cutouts with pasta, popcorn, cereal or other materials.
- Cut out pictures of objects from magazines and have your child match them to the letters with which they start.
- Blindfold your child, paint "lotion letters" on her arm and have her guess which letter you were painting and the sound it makes.
- Go on a hunt to find objects that start with each letter of the alphabet.
Sentence Building - Puzzle Out a Sentence
Write a sentence from your child's favorite story on a piece of paper or cardboard, and cut it into a puzzle your child can put back together.
Revamp Reading Time
Reading time is vital, and something you should share with your child every day. To add to the fun, be sure to discuss what you read. Create new endings to favorite stories, or have your child guess what happens next. You should also encourage your child to "read" to you, even if he is just reciting a memorized story.
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